Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!brahms!desj
From: desj@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (David desJardins)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Clumping doesn't fix Olber's paradox
Message-ID: <12178@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Tue, 4-Mar-86 23:38:09 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.12178
Posted: Tue Mar  4 23:38:09 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Mar-86 04:09:49 EST
References: <8603041333.AA12454@s1-b.arpa>
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: desj@brahms.UUCP (David desJardins)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 22
Summary: Yes it does.

In article <8603041333.AA12454@s1-b.arpa> JOSH@YKTVMH.BITNET ("Josh Knight")
writes:
>I don't think clumping, no matter what its statistical characteristics
>can avoid the paradox.  Basically, if one extends one's line of sight
>far enough, one finds it ending up on a star, i.e. the entire surface
>is covered with star surface.  At this point it is only surface brightness
>that matters.  Olber's paradox is "why is the night sky dark" not "why
>is the sky not infinitely bright".  I'm not as sure about my conclusion
>if one assumes one is at the center of the universe, but I tend not
>to make that assumption ;-).

   Well, you may not think this, but you are wrong.  If the universe
is sufficiently "clumped" it is quite possible for most rays out from
the Earth to never intersect a star.  But this still misses the point,
because even if all rays intersected stars, it would be quite possible
for most of the sky to appear dark.  First, because light is quantized
into photons and so most of the sky would still not be omitting a photon
more than occasionally, and second, because "dark" is a relative term,
i.e. there is still some scattered light coming from parts of the sky
that you see as "dark."

   -- David desJardins